The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is lit during a ceremony in New York on December 1, 2021.
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The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is lit during a ceremony in New York on December 1, 2021.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
New York City once again sparkles for the holidays. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is lit, the ice rinks open, and the department store windows are hung with lavish displays.
The Union Square holiday market, which closed last year, reopened this year with its casual outdoor labyrinth of pop-up shops and stalls selling truffle oils, gems, spices, and jewelry. craft and specialty sauces.
But amidst the commotion and general cheerfulness, an air of fear pervaded the air. Business owners running festival stalls, shops and restaurants are all worried about whether enough people will shop and dine this holiday season, especially with the arrival of the latest omicron variant.
The unpredictability of the virus is adding urgency to many of these businesses. They’re feeling the pressure to cash in on every last sale this holiday season.
Julie Gaines, who has owned the homeware store Fish’s Eddy for 35 years, says she typically makes 30% to 40% of her annual sales in November and December.
She is happy that this year shoppers will return as last year her store was virtually non-holiday.
“It’s the closest thing to normal we’ve felt in a long time,” says Gaines as she surveys her quirky holiday collection of mugs, plates and mismatched mugs.
Julie Gaines, owner of Fish’s Eddy homeware store in New York, poses in front of her collection of cups and plates.
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Camille Petersen / NPR
Julie Gaines, owner of Fish’s Eddy homeware store in New York, poses in front of her collection of cups and plates.
Camille Petersen / NPR
Her store relies on direct shoppers, especially tourists. Her store relies on direct shoppers, especially tourists, and she’s seen more of them in the past month.
“You know, no pun intended, the more the merrier,” says Gaines.
Overall, it is expected to be a busy holiday season for retailers. Real estate company CBRE expects direct and online sales in the US to increase this 8% five.
“There is a lot of need to see family, go holiday shopping, give gifts,” said Larisa Ortiz, managing director at urban design and strategy firm Streetsense.
The key for New York City businesses, she says, is to get as many people in-person as possible. “Because traffic drives sales.”
Near Rockefeller Center, home to the iconic, soaring Christmas tree, restaurateur Eli Sussman finally saw the traffic. He was happy to see not dripping leads but crowds.
“They’re coming to shop, to see the trees, to see the skating rink. I see happy people coming through the door,” said Sussman, who opened the Mediterranean restaurant, Samesa, in the spring.
It was a risky bet then, because the customer hadn’t actually returned yet.
But no less excited, Sussman constantly worried about how long the crowd would hold out.
“People are really worried about what looks like a winter spike and what that will mean for us,” he said.
For New York City businesses, the stakes are high – so they’re clutching at this sparkling, playful moment. And fear of what winter will be like.
